This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Nicole Summers, MMFN
to remember
Blair, James C., TM3c.
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Casualty Info
Casualty Date Apr 06, 1944
Cause MIA-Finding of Death
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Okinawa
Conflict World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Okinawa Gunto Operation
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Torpedoman 3rd Class James C. Blair came aboard ship two days after an accidental explosion killed five members of the ship's crew, including Torpedoman 2nd Class Eugene Lukowski. TM3c Blair is believed to have survived the initial strikes that led to the sinking of the BUSH on April 6, 1944. However, he did not survive in the water.
New Guinea Campaign (1943-44)/Battle of Morotai
From Month/Year
September / 1944
To Month/Year
September / 1944
Description The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces landed on the southwest corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), which the Allies needed as a base to support the liberation of the Philippines later that year. The invading forces greatly outnumbered the island's Japanese defenders and secured their objectives in two weeks. Japanese reinforcements landed on the island between September and November, but lacked the supplies needed to effectively attack the Allied defensive perimeter. Intermittent fighting continued until the end of the war, with the Japanese troops suffering heavy loss of life from disease and starvation.
Morotai's development into an Allied base began shortly after the landing, and two major airfields were ready for use in October. These and other base facilities played an important role in the liberation of the Philippines during 1944 and 1945. Torpedo boats and aircraft based at Morotai also harassed Japanese positions in the NEI. The island's base facilities were further expanded in 1945 to support the Australian-led Borneo Campaign, and Morotai remained an important logistical hub and command center until the Dutch reestablished their colonial rule in the NEI.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
September / 1944
To Month/Year
September / 1944
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories New Guinea, operations (18?21 January); Morotai landings (15 September); Leyte landings (20?24 October), Luzon operation, including the Mindoro and Lingayen Gulf landings (12?18 December 1944 and 4?18 January 1945); Iwo Jima operation (19 February?9 March); and the Okinawa operation (1?6 April).
